help w/ DAW design

I

ifpo238

New member
Gurus,

I'm ready to upgrade my home recording studio, and I've decided to purchase SONAR XL and an Aardvark Q10. I plan to buy another computer, too, but I'd like to get your advice on what I should build.

I've also got a couple of mics and a Roland XP-30 synth I'll want to connect to the Q10. I hope to be able to let SONAR control the XP-30, and I'd like to be able to use the XP-30's keyboard to control the software synths that ship w/ SONAR XL. I'm mostly a guitarist, though, so I'll be recording acoustic and electric guitars and using the synths mostly for synth, bass, and drum parts when I can't find loops to do the trick for me. So, hopefully that gives you an idea of what I'll need the setup to do. Questions:

Am I better off with AMD or Intel? Is there a difference? I'd prefer to avoid any incompatibilities on the front end. Am I better off w/ a single 1.4 GHz processor or w/ 2 700 MHz processors? What are the trade-offs?

RAM: The FAQ says 64 MB minimum. I know I want at least half a GB, but should I plan on more? Which recording/playback/automation functions are processor-bound and which are memory-bound?

WDM drivers: When will the WDM drivers for the Q10 be out? As I understand it, I need WDM drivers for effects automation to work well, and to be able to control the software synths from my Roland keyboard. Will I need WDM drivers for the Roland XP-30? Are they out?

Dual video monitors: I've never used dual monitors before. What do they give you? Should I splurge?

Drives: I know I want one hard drive for the system/software and one to record audio to. Should I consider a third drive for the software synths?

Audio monitors/speakers: Can I use the Roland speakers that I currently have plugged into my XP-30 for this, or do I need to buy studio monitors? Any suggestions on which to buy for a small bedroom studio?

What else should I take into consideration? :confused:

Finally, can you recommend a company that will custom build this machine for me? I'd prefer a reputable place that has experience building digital audio workstations, and preferably one that has dealt w/ Cakewalk and Aardvark in the past.

Thanks so much for your help! This is my first time building a machine to dedicate to recording, and it's a bit intimidating...

-j
 
>Am I better off with AMD or Intel?

Six or half a dozen with the newer models. Different benchmarks will tell different stories. I would go for an AMD because I think they're better bang for the buck and I've never had an AMD machine before.

>Is there a difference?

Yes

>I'd prefer to avoid any incompatibilities on the front end.
>Am I better off w/ a single 1.4 GHz processor or w/ 2 700 MHz
>processors? What are the trade-offs?

Get a single 1.4 unles you want to try dual just for the heck of it. If you go dual, get two 1.4G or don't bother.

Trade-offs, hmm, W98 doesn't support dual CPUs. I wouldn't recommend 98 in th efirst place but keep it in mind.

>RAM: The FAQ says 64 MB minimum.

Sod that

>I know I want at least half a GB, but should I plan on more?

Nah, not for the next years or so:)

> Which recording/playback/automation functions are processor-
> bound and which are memory-bound?

Everything eats memory. Plugins that require heavy calculations (and/or are poorly designerd) are what eats processor power.

>Dual video monitors: I've never used dual monitors before.
>What do they give you? Should I splurge?

Mmm dual. Get two 19" and thank yourself later.

>Drives: I know I want one hard drive for the system/software
>and one to record audio to.

Yep, get two 7200rpm drives one big and one huge:) Sod SCSI unless you're building a server.

>Should I consider a third drive for the software synths?

Nope, no need

>What else should I take into consideration?

Anything written on this BBS and on the links posted here. It's quite a lot.

>Finally, can you recommend a company that will custom build
>this machine for me? I'd prefer a reputable place that has
>experience building digital audio workstations, and preferably
> one that has dealt w/ Cakewalk and Aardvark in the past.

I'll build you one and for US$500 (plus actual shipping cost) I'll deliver it to your house:)

Good luck and use the search button...

/Ola
 
thx!

Ola,

Thanks for the information! I feel a little more confident in my choices. I have indeed poked around the BBS a little more and found a potential conflict between the Aardvark Q10 and the Asus A7M266 motherboard, so I'll definitely try to avoid that.

Does anybody have Sonar/Sonar XL up and running w/ the Aardvark Q10? (Preferably on W2K, which is my preferred OS) I'd love to hear what is/is not working so I can be ready for gotchas and don't have to wish I was rude enough to use dirty language on the telephone later. :-)

Thanks!

-ifpo
 
ifpo238,

Don't forget about the motherboard! This is probably the single most important piece to consider. The wrong drive may slow you down or limit tracks, the wrong board can result in total uselessness of your system. I have a Q10, and have had problems with apparent motherboard conflicts. The Aardvark tech guy recommends either the Gigabyte GA-7Dx, the Abit KT7 or Abit KT7e motherboards, based on the highest satisfaction with folks who call him.

As for a builder, I suggest finding a local company to do it. Once you find out what you want, you can provide them with the specs and let them woory about putting it together. By staying local, you can much more easily deal with any servicing you may need in the future.
 
Thanks! Good tips, all.

I wish, though, that I could find out which motherboard the people did did *not* have to call Aardvark support were using... ;)

-ifpo
 
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